Airplane control and retarding device



Aug. 11, 1925.

C. KOVACS AIRPLANE CONTROL AND RETARDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 18 1923 T 015/; rower/f0 mes PROPRIETOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 11, 1925.

OFFICE.

CHRISTOPHER KOVACS, F JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

AIRPLANE CONTROL AND RETARDING DEVICE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, Cnlns'rornnn Hence, a citizen of Hungary, and resident of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Airplane Control and Retarding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to flying n'iaehines, the invention being more particularly related to a motor-driven flying machine of the biplane type.

The paramount object of my invention is to provide in a machine of the class specitied new and novel features of improvement whereby the pilot at will and with safety may bring his machine quickly to a stop in the air and elfect a vertical or an approximately vertical descent and landing, for it is often most desirable to land at a predetermined place of limited area and ll,

is often necessary during flight when the in the prot ision in a machine of the class specified of pivotally connected superposed wings mounted on rockable longitud nal axes and in mechanism whereby the pilot at will can tilt or swing the wings upwardly in unison in order quickly to bring the machine to a stop in response to air re-- sistance, and further in the provisionof a flexible arcl1-sl1aped air trap or sustaimng device which is normally folded on the top of the upper wing but which be instantly released to provide a sustaining surface or arch for the purpose of allowing the machine to make a slow vertical or approximately vertical descent and'landing.

A further object of my invention is improvements of this kind which are extremely simple and inexpensive in construction, readily and easily operated, and highly efficient in use.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects, the invention resides in the details of construction and in the arrange Application filed December 18, 1923. Serial No. 681,349.

Fig. 2 is a side .elevational view of a.

biplane embodying my improvements.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail in elevation of the mechanism for holding the flexible sustaining device and for instantly releasing; the same, and

Fig. 4 is a front view in the nature of a diagram, illustrating the flexible sustaining device expanded for effecting a vertical descent.

in order that the construction and opera-= tion of my improvement will be readily understood, l have shown the same in the accompanyinp; drawing as embodied in a sim ple wheel-supported chassis, of which on each side the principal parts include a main vertical bar 7, supported upon the tie-rods 8 and 9 of which the former extends to the rear running gear 10 and the latter con-= nects the front running gear post 11 with the rear running gear post 12. A further tie-rod 13 connects the front running gear post with the rear running gear. These parts are precisely alike on each side of the machine and they are connected by such cross tie-rods (not shown) as may be nec essary to make a firm and staunch structure. The pilot s ear M is supported from the main vertical loars 7, midway thereloetween and at each side the supporting connection between said car and the main vertical shaft on that side consists of-a pair of front rods 15 and a pair of rear rods 16. The forward portion. of the pilot s car is further supported upon the front running gear posts 11.

It will he noted from an inspection of Fig. 1 that each of the main vertical bars 7 is formed at its top end with a bearing 1'? and at its lower end with a hearing 18.

till

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. constitutes a longitudinal axis for the upper wing or sustaining surface 20. The outer framework of the wing consists of the side or edge spars 21 which connect the cross or end spars 22, made fast to the shaft 19, one each adjacent to a bearing 17. The

' wingor sustaining surface 20 may consist of any fabric commonly employed for aeroplane wings, such for instance as Chinese silk properly treated to afford a staunch lifting surface in response to air pressure.

The cross or end spars 22 are slightly arched lengthwise so that the sustaining surface when stretched tightly upon and tied to the framework will be slightly arched transversely or in the direction of the flight of the machine.

According to a feature of my invention, the upper wing 20 is located closely above the pilots car 14, while the lower wing 23 is located at a distance below the same. The lower wing 23 is made in all respects like the upper wing and its framework consists of a shaft 24 having turning fit in and connecting the bearings 18, and the side or edge spars 25 which connect the cross or end spars 26. The upper and lower wings connected so as to be tilted upwardly or elevated in unison for the purpose of engaging the air in the direction of flight and providing a strong head resistance to bring the machine to a quick stop. The connections between the wings are accomplished by extending in the wing 20 the ,ends of the side spars 21 exteriorly of the cross spars 22 and by similarly extending in the wing 23 the ends of the side spars 25 exteriorly of the cross spars 26. The protruding ends of the spars 21 are then pivotally connected with the protruding ends of spars 25 by links 27, so that any elevation of the wing 20 will correspondingly elevate the wing 23.

In order to elevate the wing 20, I secure to the shaft 19 a crank 28, which is connected through a link 29 with a crank 30, fast on a shaft 31 having turning fit in the brackets 32 and 33 in the pilots car. The shaft 31 carries a gear 34 in mesh with a worm 35 on shaft 36 operatively held in brackets as 37 and 38 attached to the pilots car. The shaft 36 is equipped with a hand crank 39, and the parts are so arranged that this hand crank is within easy reach of the pilot as he sits in the chair 40. When therefore, during flight the pilot may desire for any reason to quickly check the impetus of the machine, or to bring it to a stop, he turns the crank 39 and elevates the wings 20 and 23 as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. It will be understood that the wings may also be moved in a similar manner in the downward direction.

41 represents an arch-shaped sustaining device, made of flexible air sustaining fabric, preferably of the kind employed in the wings. This sustaining device has its ends securely tied to the end spars 22 of the wing 20 and is normally folded compactly upon the top of wing 20 and within its compass. Secured to one side of the sustaining device as at 42 is a row of guy ropes 43 which are merged or twined into a singe guy rope 44. When the sustaining device has been folded compactly upon the wing 20 as shown in Fig. 1, the guy ropes 4-3 are passed over a pulley 45, drawn tightly and the rope 44 is led to the pilots car where its looped end 46 is engaged over a key 47 ,at the side of the car opposite the hand crank within easy reach of the pilot. The key 47 is seated in the apertures 48 and 48 provided respectively in the offset arm 50 and the post 51, said offset arm being secured by bolts'52 to said post so as to provide a space or recess 53 therebetween for the loop 46 of the guy rope. The key 47 is made with a long parallel branch 54 that extends through the apertures 55 and 56 provided in the offset arm 50 and post 51, respectively. 57 is coiled around the branch 54 between the post 51 and a retaining nut 58 threaded on the end of the branch 54. This spring normally holds the key retracted to prevent the escape of the loop 46 therefrom but when a pull is exerted on the key it yields to permit the key to be withdrawn far enough for the quick escape of the loop 46. In this manner, I provide for the quick release of the sustaining device 41 which is caught up by the air and ekpanded into the arch shaped form shown in Fig. 4, adapted to engage the air and provide for safe descent ofthe machine in a vertical or approximately vertical direction.

I also want to remark that the gear 34 and worm 35 may be made self looking so that a reverse operation of them will automatically be prevented and the wings thereby kept-in any position they have been set, though any of the usual brake means may also be applied to one of the elements of the wing moving mechanism to rigidly fix the wings in their position.

Various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of my improvements may be resorted to at will without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, I consider myself entitled to all such variations as may lie within the terms of the claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, is

In a flying machine, the combination of a main wing adapted to be elevated to en gage the air in the direction of flight, an arch shaped flexible sustaining device se- A spring cured to said wing and normally folded adapted to be manual] withdrawn for the thereover, guy ropes attached to said sus quick escape of said looped end and the taining device for securing it in folded conrelease of said sustaining device. dition, said guy ropes being twined to make Signed at New York, in the coun y of 6 a single securing end provided with a loop New York and State of New York, this and a spring urged key for engaging and 19th day of November, A. D.,.1923. holding said looped end, said key being CHRISTOPHER KOVACS. 

